Barbara Sessions, vice president and chief operating officer of Wyoming-based broadband service provider Silver Star Communications, received the 2021 FTTXcellence Award yesterday during the opening General Session at the Fiber Connect conference and exhibition in Nashville, TN. The award, now in its 18th year and co-sponsored by Corning and Lightwave, recognizes an individual who has advanced the use optical communications in broadband networks in the Americas.
The selection of Sessions from a slate of candidates nominated by their peers recognizes her leadership in fiber broadband expansion projects in Wyoming and East Idaho in the face of both environmental and COVID-related challenges. “This year’s recipient stood apart from a very impressive slate of nominees. Our 2021 honoree has displayed great vision and an unwavering commitment to bringing fiber to the good people of Western Wyoming and Eastern Idaho,” commented Joe Jensen, market development director at Corning Optical Communications during the award ceremony. “As the vice president and COO of Silver Star Communications, Barbara Sessions spearheaded the successful coordination and execution of two CARES projects in different states simultaneously.”
In Western Wyoming, Sessions led Silver Star’s efforts to deploy 133 route miles of conduit and main cable, passing 2,825 locations, to provide access to fiber broadband services. Silver Star estimates that the construction and other project spending have resulted in at least $1.2 million of economic stimulation for Wyoming’s Star Valley. The deployment projects in East Idaho saw more than 150,000 feet of conduit and fiber installed to pass 690 locations, 368 of which previously had access to internet speeds under 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream.
Sessions received an award of Steuben glass in recognition of her achievements. A donation also was made in her name to US Ignite, a non-profit organization that seeks to act as a catalyst for communications network advancement as well as for innovation in smart city services. Mari Silbey, senior director of partnerships and outreach for US Ignite, spoke during the ceremony on behalf of the organization. Sessions declined to speak.
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